John h



(No Model.)

J. H; SHAW.

DOOR SPRING.

No. 478,370. Patented July 5, 1892.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. SHAW, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO SARGENT & COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

DOOR-SPRING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 478,370, dated July 5, 1,892. Application filed January 6, 1892. Serial No. 417.142. l(No model.)

.To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. SHAW, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Door-Sprin gs; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification,

l By disengagingtheclutch from the collar, as

and represent, in

Figure 1, a plan View of a door-spring con-` structed in 4accordance with my invention; Fig. 2, a broken View thereof partly in side elevation and partly in section, and Fig. 3 a

view in side elevation looking in the direc-` tion of the arrow ct in Fig. l with a portion of the clutch-collar broken away.

My invention relates to an improvement in door-springs, the object being to produce a si m pl e, effective, and durable device having a very convenient adaptation for adjusting the tension of its spring.

With these ends in view my invention consists in certain details of construction and combinations' of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claim.

The box or caseA is provided with a flange or foot A', by means of which it is secured in place, the box being of any suitable construction. A coiled spring B, located within the box, is connected therewith at its outer end and at its inner end to the spring-shaft C, which is journaled in the sides of the case, projecting through one side thereof for the rigid attachment of the clutch-collar D, which, as shown', is provided With a circular series of perforations D', forming retaining-points. I do not, however, limit myself to constructing the clutch-collar, as shown herein, for its retaining-points may be formed in other ways. A lever E, loosely connected with the said end of the shaft by means of a screw E', has bearing upon the outer face of the said clutchcollar, and isconstructed near its inner end with an elongated slot E2,which extends overI thesame. It is provided at the outer end of the said slot with two corresponding vertical horizontally-perforated lugs or ears e c, receiving a pin e on which is hung a clutch F, the inner and longer end thereof being adapted in form to fit within the slot E2, before `mentioned, and constructed upon the lower face of its inner extremity with a circular boss f, adapted in size to fit within the perforations Dof the collar. The outer end of the said clutch offsets from the inner end thereof, and is constructed with a lip f for manual engagement for lifting the inner end of the clutch' away from the clutch-collar, and is perforated to receive the pin e', before mentioned.

described, the lever may be swung in either A direction, permitting the clutch to be engaged with any one of the perforations in the collar. As thus constructed and mounted, the

clutch is very convenient of operation, and

may be manipulated Aby the fingers of the same hand used to operate the lever. The spring is normally held under the tension procured through the clutch-collar, the clutch,

and the lever, by means of stop G, made double, so as to co-operate with the collar when it is turned in one direction as Well as when it is rotated in the other. This-stop is herein shown as mounted on a horizontal pin H, extending centrally through it, and supported at its outer end in a lug l, formed upon the adjacent face of the case A, and at its inner end in a hub I', also formed upon the said face, and forming a bearing for the clutch-collar D. The stop, which is thus 1oeated directly under the clutch-collar, is constructed'atits inner end with two corresponding lugs g g, which enterthe retaining-points D', formed in the collar from the under face thereof when the stop is tilted one Way or the other from the horizontal position which it normally occupies, and in which it is held by a spring K, interposed between a fiat-faced lug g', formed upon its under face, and the adjacent face of the case A. The said'stop is also provided with two outwardly-projecting operating-fingers g2 g2, formanualengagement in tilting the rocking stop against the tension of the spring K, and one way or the other, according to the direction in which the spring is Wound, the said spring being reversible in the case according as the device is to be used on a door opening to the right or left. It will be observed that the lugs g and operatingfingers g2 are respectively located on opposite roo sides of the center of the stop and correspond to each other.

In adjusting the tension of the spring of my improved device the clutch is manually disengaged by a pressure upon its lip F from the collar D,and the lever moved in one direction or the other according to the Way in which the spring is Wound, and the clutch released for re-engagement with the clutch-collar. The lever and collar are then moved together to Wind the spring, and when they have been moved as far as convenient the other hand is employed to tilt the stop, by means of one of its operating-fingers, and engage one of its lugs with one of the perforaiions in the collar, according to the direction in which the same rotates when the spring un- Winds. The collar being in this way held against rotation, the clutch is again disengaged from it, and the lever moved in the same direct-ion as before, land the clutch reengaged with the collar and moved again to further Wind the spring, the stop being this time automaticallythrown down into its norlnal position by the rotation ofthe collar. The operation above described is repeated until the spring has been wound to the desired tension. In the same way the spring maybe unwound.

It is apparent that in place of a clutch-collar provided with a series of perforations I may employ a collar having retaining-points in the form of slots formed in the edge of the collar or in some other Way; nor do I limit myself to the use in connection with my irnproved stop of the particular clutch and lever shown herein. I would therefore have it understood that I do not limit myself to the exact construction herein shown and described, but hold myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations therein as fairly fall Within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a door-spring, the combination, With a case, spring, and springshaft, of a collar rigidly attached to a projecting end of the said shaft and having a series of retaining-points formed in it, a lever loosely connected` with the said projecting end of the shaft and bearr ing upon the outer end of the collar, a manual clutch mounted in the lever for engagement with the collar through the retaining-points therein, a rocking stop pivoted on the ease under the said collar, and having two corresponding stop-lugs for engagement therewith and two corresponding outwardly-projecting operatingiin gers, the said lugs and lingers being respectively located on opposite sides of its center, and a spring engaged with the said stop to hold it in its normally retired position in which it lies in the same plane With the clutchcollar, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

JOHN H. SHAW. lVitnesses:

NINA L. EGGLEsToN, ROBERT E. lloran. 

